PM leaves Tokyo for Washington DC

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday (28 April) left here for Washington DC after wrapping up her four-day official visit to Japan at the invitation of her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida.

A flight of United Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage members took off from the Haneda International Airport in Tokyo around 15.55pm (Japan time) for Dallas International Airport in Washington DC to attend the ceremony marking a 50-year partnership between Bangladesh and the World Bank in Washington DC on 1 May, PM's Speechwriter M Nazrul Islam told BSS.

The flight is scheduled to land at the Dallas International Airport around 15:50pm (USA time).

The ambassador of Bangladesh to the USA Muhammad Imran will receive the prime minister at the airport.

The premier will leave Washington DC for London on 4 May to attend the coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms.

Earlier on 25 April, a special chartered VVIP flight (BG1403) of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister and her entourage members landed at the Haneda International Airport, Tokyo at 4.45pm (local time) on the first leg of her 15-day official visit to Japan, the USA and the UK.

Japan had rolled out a red carpet to welcome the Bangladeshi prime minister and gave her the static guard of honour at the airport.

During her visit to Japan, Dhaka and Tokyo signed eight instruments on agriculture, metro rail, industrial upgrade, ship recycling, customs matters, intellectual properties; defence cooperation, ICT and cyber security cooperation.

On 26 April, Sheikh Hasina paid a courtesy call to the emperor of Japan Naruhito.

On the same day, she also held a bilateral meeting with her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida after the signing of the deals.

The premier also attended an investment summit and a community reception alongside handing over the "Friends of Liberation War Honour" to four Japanese nationals for their contribution to Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971 on 27 April.

During her visit to Tokyo, the prime minister attended several additional bilateral meetings, including meeting with Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and meeting with leaders of JAICA, JETRO, JEBIC, JBPFL and JBCCEC.

She also met the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's wife Akie Abe and a Japanese architect Tadao Ando.

Her sister Sheikh Rehana, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque, prime minister's private industry and investment adviser Salman F Rahman, State Minister for foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources Nasrul Hamid and state minister for information and communication technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak along with the relevant high-level government officials accompanied the prime minister during her visit to Japan.

The Prime Minister is expected to return home from London on 9 May.